Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius April 2, 2017 Spiritual Ponderings Devotions to the 7 Sorrows of St. Joseph
On March 19
th, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph the Husband of Mary and on May 1
st the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Saint John Paul II saw in St. Joseph the powerful intercessor our modern world needed when he declared: “Saint Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the upright guardian of those entrusted to his care. May he always guard, protect and enlighten families.” To guide our reflections about Saint Joseph this month, I will be turning to the spiritual tradition of meditating on the Seven Sorrows of St. Joseph. (I will reflect on the Seven Joys of St. Joseph sometime in the future.)
Sorrow #1. The Doubt of St. Joseph. (Matthew 1:19) This first sorrow asks us to focus our attention on St. Joseph at the moment he discovered that Mary was pregnant and how he must have felt believing that Mary had betrayed him. As I reflect on this moment, I do not think that I can truly imagine the pain and heartbreak Saint Joseph must have felt at the moment. St. Joseph was, after all, a young man filled with many hopes, dreams, and expectations for his future and since he was betrothed to Mary, we can be assured that she played an important part in many if not all of those hopes, dreams, and expectations. The pain of the moment was probably magnified by the fact that Mary was probably the last person on earth that Joseph would have expected to betray him in the way he thought. Pain is always magnified when it is inflicted intentionally or accidently by a love one than if it had been inflicted by a complete stranger.
In this devastatingly sad moment in Saint Joseph’s life, Saint Joseph models for us some different virtues that we should incorporate into our lives. The first virtue Saint Joseph models for us is the virtue of patience. Despite the pain and suffering he is feeling and the (presumed) absurdity of Mary’s story, Saint Joseph does not act rashly or in haste. He stops and thinks and ponders all options that lay before him. He chose therefore the least emotional and the most rational option of planning to divorce Mary quietly. Saint Joseph could have acted without thinking, while being motivated by anger and rage and had Mary stoned to death. Instead St. Joseph practices the virtue of patience. He allows time for God to unfold his plan. I guess you can say he decided to “sleep on it”. His practice of the virtue of patience allows God plan of salvation to continue.
The second virtue St. joseph demonstrates for us is that of mercy. At this moment, Saint Joseph literally has Mary’s live in his hands. It was the law of the land at the time that a woman could be stoned to death for infidelity. Saint Joseph, probably still feeling hurt from Mary’s perceived betrayal, chooses to have mercy on her. The decision to have mercy on Mary comes before Saint Joseph knows that Mary’s story is true. Saint Joseph’s mercy therefore is unconditional.
The third virtue that St. Joseph teaches us is the virtue best called “respect for life.” Joseph has the legal right to have Mary killed but he chooses not to. I think this is an important lesson for people in the world today because many of us spend a lot of time focusing on our rights instead of helping other people. The government, society, and culture would have applauded and probably participated in Mary’s demise but Saint Joseph new life was more precious than what the rest of the world thought it was.
Thank God, that Joseph did not choose this option because that choice would have affected history in such a negative way that Joseph could ever imagine. I think it is interesting that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by doing something that they were not supposed to and Joseph allows our savior to come into the world by not doing something he had the legal right to do. I cannot help that he chose to divorce Mary quietly was because Joseph had a deep respect for life. Could we bring Christ’s presence into the world by following St. Joseph’s example and not claiming our rights that our government gives us but at the same time show no respect for life?
PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH FOR CHASTITY Father and protector of chastity, glorious Saint Joseph, in whose faithful custody was entrusted the very Innocence,
Jesus Christ and the Virgin of virgins, Mary; for this twofold and most loved token, Jesus and Mary, I pray and plead you to help me always to purely serve Jesus and Mary with an uncontaminated soul, pure heart and a chaste body. Amen.